Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been rampaging through the NBA over the team’s first four games.
Bucks fans love to see it … and they especially liked to read Antetokounmpo’s lips after TV cameras caught him celebrating a remarkable sequence in a 121-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Oct. 28 in which he swatted a shot on one end and then gathered an offensive rebound before throwing down a dunk on the other.
“This is my city!” Antetokounmpo said.
That proclamation had Milwaukee’s fan base reading a lot into it, especially since it came against a team that was the center of a trade report involving Antetokounmpo just before the regular season.
Antetokounmpo was asked after the game about what exactly he said.
“This is my city,” he said. “I love when it’s tough. I thrive when it’s tough. When you make it tough, I thrive.”
Antetokounmpo was also asked if there was any extra message he wanted to convey with that.
“It’s just instincts,” he said. “I’ve made the same comments in the past.
“Not to read too much into things. It’s just instincts, man. I just play basketball.”
Antetokounmpo did say there was something extra with playing the Knicks, but not because of any trade reports.
“A lot extra,” he said. “They swept us last year. They swept us.
“They were way better than us last year. We didn’t make it tough on them. It was very easy, in my opinion. As a leader of this team, I remember. I don’t forget things.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What did Giannis mean when he shouted ‘This is my city!’ in Bucks’ win over Knicks?
Reporting by Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
